аЯрЁБс > ўџ O Q ўџџџ N џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС Б@ №П ^3 jbjb
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The Circle as a Place for the Healer
If the Healer archetype is to enter our lives more fully, we have to find contexts where the energies of this figure can be demonstrated and amplified. When I imagine a place for the Healer, I picture a circle. For thousands of years, the setting of a circle has enabled human communities to resolve conflicts and uncover new understanding. Whether the circle is designated as ritual space for the arts to speak, a context for council and deep conversation, or a silent contemplative space for spiritual communion, listening is always involved and the Healer is always present.
The circle has served me well for over half my life. This healing space has held me in mens gatherings, discussion groups, improvisational ensembles, heated negotiations, and educational seminars. For over two decades, I belonged to a spiritual organization whose most potent gatherings were held in the round. Often we held what were called attunement gatherings in circle where the intent was to send out a healing current through extemporaneous conversation, inspired discussion, silence, and musical improvisation. When the organization disbanded, or at least when a majority of participants left, the circle became an important container for ending, reflecting, grieving, and initiating new cycles.
When we reflect on the Healer, many of the words we use imply a circular nature (surround, encompass, enfold, and enclose). Could it be that the circle in and of itself creates the space for the Healer to enter? Christina Baldwin, author of Calling the Circle, says a round configuration creates a sense of community, holds our chaos, links us to the ancient, surrounds us with the sense of containment, and unfolds the communication process as if the circle were really a compressed spiral. Does this sound like the Healer in action?
Christina makes it clear that gathering in a circle is not a guarantee that all our problems will be magically sorted out. On occasions, the circle is simply a place for learning or healing to occur. I believe that unfoldment and enfoldment both happen in the circle because, consciously or subconsciously, the participants are attuning to the Healer archetype and making themselves available to good medicine.
The combination of a circle format and the evocation of the Healer (as a source encompassment) can set up expectations in participants that only good things will take place. In reality, it does not always play out that way. For this reason, it is important to let participants know that the circle is not a magic wand but a place for holding, reflecting, and being with heartfelt material. Soulwork, as we know, is not about finding quick answers to difficult situations.
While the application of a circle depends on the situation, the purpose is always the same: to move through an interactive process of sharing and listening in order to bring participants into an experience of mutual support and respect. Sometimes words alone serve this process but my own preference is to include soundmaking and silence as complementary modes of communication.
Over the years, I have come to appreciate that the greatest challenge to achieving an experience of mutual support comes from circles that only use words as the main means of communicating. Perhaps it is my own bias, but I feel the Healer energy rush faster into the room when sound and silence are made available as pathways for the heart to speak and receive.
In my role as a facilitator within corporate events or gatherings, it is not always appropriate to use sound or silence. In those situations, I have observed a few common scenarios that either invite speaking from the heart or else thwart the touch of the Healer archetype. Take, for instance, a situation where the participants in a circle are stuck in the dynamics of bargaining, negotiating, trading ideas, and eventually settling on acceptable compromises. There is little room for the Healer archetype to put in a brief appearance, especially if everyone is dug in to their hard-line stances.
A softer version of this involves participants who are prepared to hang-in for a long haul process that, hopefully, leads to clarification. In some of these circles, where I have acted as a facilitator, the participants have gone no further than stating their point of view. In and of itself, this can have value, especially in a stalemate circumstance where the opinion of one or both parties is not being heeded. After a while, however, the mere voicing of viewpoints does not aid the process of moving toward a shared meaning, let alone invited a healing experience.
If participants no longer listen to each other in a manner that shifts attitudes, beliefs, or demands, then communication simply remains at a competitive level. Stuck in this winner-loser mindset, participants expend their energy bolstering opinions, denigrating the opposition, or trying to win the support of non-aligned individuals.
Competitive communication usually begins with obstinate thoughts and feelings being tossed onto the field. Participants then take sides and the group becomes polarized. The larger intent of coming to mutual respect and support, moving toward clarification, or discovering something unknown, is forgotten in favour of defending a point or advancing a position.
There is nothing inherently wrong with a discussion circle having a certain sportive element to it. Any juicy communication exchange has the feel of play and interplay as it wrestles its way to understanding. However, a facilitator has to remain alert for stages when the group is stuck in a divisive rut and two factions are merely playing the game from the motive of attaining domination. Some people even want to be overpowered and will set up situations where they can acquiesce to a stronger party. In the long run, the clustering into stronger and weaker poles is a far cry from the deep agreement and consensus possible in a circle.
I regard consensus as a primary intent of the Healer. According to the Oxford Dictionary, consensus is an agreement of different organs in effecting purpose. Agreement and consensus, for me, imply a depth of heart and feeling (the domain of the Healer) as distinct from a state of synthesis that is mentally attained through conformity and the limiting of individuality. Consensus is a condition of mutual agreement wherein the integrity of the different organs remains intact. The intent is not to obliterate distinctions. Debate  winning others over to ones point of view  doesnt accomplish this goal. Neither does trade-off negotiation or collective bargaining in which, through compromise, everyone wins a little and loses a little. The agreement of different organs in effecting a common purpose is the point.
On the surface, a circle may appear as a rather gentle and non-threatening context. Likewise we have associations around the Healer that are fairly kind-hearted and pacific. The fact is, however, that there can be a good deal of emotional heat within a circle space. It can become fairly obvious to circle participants that each of us guards a bastion of intellectual structures or emotional convictions. Scratch the surface and out come rather definitive thoughts and feelings as to what morals are necessary for a healthy society, what political programs would contribute to the national well-being, or what spiritual practices would foster deeper harmony. In casual conversation we tend to avoid such loaded topics. In a prolonged discussion, these deep-seated ideas and beliefs not only surface but also are staunchly promoted or challenged.
Participating in a circle discussion is a potent way for all of us to learn how to lightly hold our basic assumptions as to what makes life meaningful. By suspending rigid assumptions and beliefs our group exchanges can include more possibilities and less limiting perceptions. The heart has to be engaged in a way that entertains new passions rather than old defenses around what is considered sacred. Significant shifts of awareness or attitudes only begin to put in an appearance, in my experience, when our core structures of attitude and belief are suspended.
It can take a while to get past the antagonistic stages of a circle discussion. Typically, a challenge to ones core beliefs feels like a challenge to oneself and the energy of defense and survival, that once served us in the wilds, will come rushing up. Contrary to the spirit of the Healer, defense and attack may be translated into verbal forms of violence. Name calling, swearing, yelling, or attacking someones integrity can all occur when the very core values and views we hold to be true are being challenged.
Core beliefs carry more emotional heat than what we call preferences, those things we like and dislike. Core beliefs have been tempered by time, reinforced by experience, sanctioned by cultural background, and glorified by heroes. A circle member may think he or she is offering incidental ideas or viewpoints, but internally those thoughts and feelings are cherished as gospel truths. Large parts of who we hold ourselves to be are identified with our positions, traditions and, in some cases, superstitions.
What happens to consensus or Healer energy when a circle brings together two bodies of people who share opposite beliefs? In many cases, the conflicting group mindsets will not dissolve. When the walls of insularity are too stubbornly set, or if the definitions of what belongs in and out of a group are too rigidly established, then it is nearly impossible for participants to leap from antagonism to mutuality. In such cases, most of the energy in the circle is concerned with maintaining a group identity rather than opening to others who might dilute or infect the established community. The more fixed the group minds position, the less pliable is the condition for deep exchanges, let alone shared meaning. The Healer is left out of the picture again and the shadow side of this archetype may show up in terms of wounding rather than healing.
As I have learned from experience, a circle facilitator is asking for trouble by bringing together a group of people who are too sharply polarized against one another. When both sides have little to say to each other, the best one could hope for would be a temporary truce. In a resilient circle, participants willingly challenge themselves to suspend their emotional and intellectual biases. This act of putting aside the familiar may cause participants to initially feel thrown into chaos. If everyone stays with the process, though, those elements of confusion or contradiction have an opportunity to either cohere into a shared meaning, or dissolve so that something totally unexpected may emerge.
Just as we would never demand that all our problems be clarified in one therapy session, neither would it be fair to expect too much from a single circle. As participants quickly find out, a substantial amount of time and energy has to be invested to get past appearances, to sort through mixtures, to hold disparate essences, and to eventually come to new levels of understanding. New worlds of awareness and communication are not created in one day. I have participated in gatherings that met faithfully each week for years, and still had levels of trust, acceptance, and candor yet to penetrate. In all this, the Healer is most patient.
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Gary Diggins copyright 2009
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